Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei took the stage this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to announce their smartwatch.

The device, which is simply dubbed the “Huawei Watch,” features a completely round display and runs on Google’s Android Wear operating system. Unlike the Apple Watch, Huawei opted for the round display with a premium watch design.

The presenter who announced the device stood in front of a projection slide with four competing smartwatches and talked about how they aren’t as good as the Huawei Watch. The targeted devices included the Apple Watch, Samsung’s Gear Live, Motorola’s Moto 360, and LG’s G Watch R.

The speaker noted that all four competing smartwatches looked geeky and they each offer a clumsy design. Close up images of the Huawei Watch show a premium design that was reportedly inspired by actual high-end non-smart watches.

At first glance, the Huawei Watch appears rather thick. However, the device comes in at 11.3mm thin which is the same thickness of a standard smartwatch you would find on the market today. The Apple Watch reportedly measures in ay 11.5mm thin.

Huawei says that the watch will be available later this year, however, the price of the device is still unknown. What are your first impressions of the Huawei Watch? Let us know in the comments below.

The car manufacturer showed off the Regera, which translates to “to reign” in Swedish, at the Geneva Motor Show earlier today. The car is equipped with a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine along with three electric motors and can top out at a speed of 255 miles per hour.

The sports car’s interior is equipped with an infotainment system that includes a 9-inch touchscreen, which is said to offer superior touch performance and the capability for users to use multi-touch gestures. The system is compatible with Apple’s CarPlay, letting iPhone users connect their devices to their cars and access all of CarPlay’s features.

The Koenigsegg Regera is priced at $1,890,000 and the manufacturer says that only 80 of them will be produced.

Apple has announced a long list of automobile manufacturers that have agreed to include CarPlay in upcoming vehicles. So far, Ferrari is the only brand that has produced a car that is compatible with Apple’s service. Audi, Volkswagen, and Hyundai have all said CarPlay-compatible cars will be available in 2015.

According to the sales pitch shared by Mark Gurman, Apple employees will focus on three key features — selling points — of the wearable: health and fitness, new ways to connect, and timekeeping.

Since customers want an Apple Watch — the sales pitch says — the employees’ job will be to help customers find the right device and gently push them toward an upgrade if needed. To achieve that, employees have been instructed to start the conversation by asking the right questions after listening for cues that reveal what the customer cares about.

Also, employees are trained to discover the customer’s needs, tastes, and material preferences. Some of the questions you may face when visiting an Apple Store to buy an Apple Watch include “Are you looking for a watch that’s more casual or formal?” and “Do you prefer metal or leather bands?”

With the Apple Watch, the company hopes to invigorate its accessories business, Apple SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts confirmed to retail employees: Apple will individually sell different band options, so customers will be able to buy a Watch from any collection with an included band and then change to the band of their preference.

Also, Apple Stores will have safes to store the more expensive models and glass-covered Apple Watch display tables. As for the high-end gold model, employees will use a special iPhone app to unlock the table.

An interesting addition would be a new “Special Reservation” program: customers will be able to pre-reserve a custom Apple Watch casing and band combination and then complete the sale after trying it on.

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-watch-sales-pitch-retail-store/feed/4http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-watch-sales-pitch-retail-store/SaskTel Promo Offers ‘Up to $450′ in Wireless Credits if You Switch Overhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/biFDRu_1QKA/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/sasktel-promo-450-credits/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:21:53 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=144042SaskTel Promo Offers ‘Up to $450′ in Wireless Credits if You Switch Over is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>SaskTel has a wireless promo that launched last month to lure over customers from Rogers, TELUS and Bell. The company says “Switch to Sasktel wireless today!” and receive “up to $450” in credits, which consist of:

Get a $200 bill credit when you sign a new two-year postpaid voice and data contract.

Trade in your existing device for up to $250.

Okay, so really it’s more like a guaranteed $200, because you may not have a device to trade in that will get the max $250 value. Plus you’ll need to sign a new 2-year term, so you’ll have some thinking to do. The credit could cover most of your entry iPhone 6 hardware fee on contract though ($264.99 subsidized).

The promo launched back in January but goes until March 31, 2015. If you’re really looking to switch away from the ‘Big 3′ and don’t mind contracts, this could be something to consider.

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/sasktel-promo-450-credits/feed/0http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/sasktel-promo-450-credits/TELUS Mobility Customers: Get 1 Month Free Roadside Assistance from DAAhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/7vQ5IqMpbTQ/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/telus/telus-roadside-assistance-daa/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:01:35 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=144036TELUS Mobility Customers: Get 1 Month Free Roadside Assistance from DAA is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>TELUS mobility customers looking for roadside assistance, you can now get a one month free trial with Dominion Automobile Association (DAA). The 30 day free trial includes the following services, covered up to $75 in value per service incident:

Emergency Road and Tow Service

Emergency Lock Out Service

Flat Tire Change

Battery Boost

Fuel Delivery

All you need to do is enter your mobile number and an SMS will confirm your sign up. After 30 days, you will be charged $6.50 per month, so you should remind yourself to opt or face an automatic charge on your bill.

“Canadians have been clear: they want their government to make decisions that will lead to more choice, lower prices and better service in the wireless sector. Today, companies submitted their bids for AWS-3 wireless spectrum, a valuable public resource and the invisible infrastructure on which wireless information travels.”

The AWS-3 wireless spectrum auction will have “60 percent of the available spectrum set aside solely for bids from new competitors, this auction has been designed to support competition,” reiterated Moore.

Introduced today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BlackBerry’s new ‘Leap’ smartphone has ditched the famous QWERTY keyboard in favour of a 5-inch touchscreen. The device runs the BlackBerry 10 OS, features an 8-megapixel camera with edge-to-edge HD display and a textured back case, and will sell for $275 when it launches this month in Indonesia and Brazil. According to BusinessInsider, the BlackBerry Leap will be released in North America and European markets in April.

“At last year’s Mobile World Congress, BlackBerry launched the Z3, which had a full touchscreen. But the launch of the Leap gives BlackBerry a more rounded current portfolio — although it’s unclear how a BlackBerry phone without the signature keyboard — or any other standout features — will be able to compete with Android devices in the same price range.”

BlackBerry notes that the Leap’s battery life can last up to 25 hours of “heavy use”, on of its main selling points. The other feature of the device highlighted by BlackBerry is its security. The Leap is said to have encryption support, as well as built-in anti-malware protection and a back-up wipe and restore function.

For a better idea, check out the first hands-on video of BlackBerry Leap below:

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/blackberry-leap-full-touchscreen-smartphone/feed/3http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/blackberry-leap-full-touchscreen-smartphone/TD Canada Teases New iPhone App with Added Banking Features [LIST]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/lQX41GGB5Ss/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/td-canada-new-iphone-app/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:32:50 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=144016TD Canada Teases New iPhone App with Added Banking Features [LIST] is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>TD Canada customers, a new iPhone app is coming your way according to the bank. A splash page on the existing TD app is showing off a new app coming soon that will offer the following new features:

Check account balances at a glance without having to log in every time if you opt in to use the new Quick Access feature.

Add many eligible Canadian bill payee companies straight from the TD app

View and cancel upcoming Canadian bill payments with ease

Complete your mobile banking experience by logging out securely from any page

Strengthened security measures

While the images shown are low resolution, you can get a glimpse below of what’s coming for iPhone users:

The design seems to take UI elements from the existing TD Insurance iOS app, seen below:

The existing TD Canada iPhone app does not support the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus screen size, it’s not exactly pretty to look at. User reviews in iTunes have been critical of the existing app, so a new revamped app will be welcome by their customers. However, TD photo chequing deposits did debut last fall, something RBC mobile customers still don’t have.

Apple Watch will be released in three separate price tiers i.e. Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition, with each series including two display sizes and a variety of strap choices. Starting with Apple Watch Sport, Munster expects an ASP (average selling price) of $450 including configuration choices like case and internal storage options. The stainless steel Apple Watch model is expected to start at $499 to $549, with an overall ASP at around $650. Regarding the Apple Watch Edition, the analyst forecasts the base model to start at $4,999, while classifying segment ASP at $7,500.

Based on current pricing for Apple’s silicon iPhone 6 cases, which come in at $35, Munster sees elastomer Apple Watch straps to start in a similar $29 to $35 range, while leather bands could be priced between $49 to $59. Pricing for metal bands like the link bracelet and Milanese loop are more difficult to determine, but the analyst believes steel versions will come in at $99, while gold bands could be priced into the thousands of dollars.

“If you assume that 55 percent of bands purchased are elastomer, 35 percent leather, 10 percent steel, and about 5,000 total gold bands are sold, the average band ASP could be around $50,” Munster writes.

Lastly, Munster expects the Sport model to make up 55% of overall Watch sales, while the mid-tier Apple Watch will take 45%. As for Apple Watch Edition, Munster believes Apple might sell roughly 10,000 units this year.

Based on what we know so far about the Apple Watch, which model do you plan on getting?

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/499-usd-price-for-steel-apple-watch-4999-usd-edition/feed/7http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/499-usd-price-for-steel-apple-watch-4999-usd-edition/Pebble Time Kickstarter Update Brings Steel Version, Smartstraps [PICS]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/ADGeFtDvCCs/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/pebble-time-steel-kickstarter/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:07:53 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=143987Pebble Time Kickstarter Update Brings Steel Version, Smartstraps [PICS] is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>Pebble has today added another watch to its ongoing Kickstarter project, which has already raised over $13 million with 24 days still to go before the campaign ends. Called the ‘Pebble Time Steel’, it is an upscale version of the plastic Pebble Time, featuring an improved battery life of 10 days (instead of 7) and a machined metal case that comes in silver, gold and black finishes.

In addition, Pebble has also announced ‘Smartstraps‘, a unique modular hardware accessory system, which allows third-party developers to build smart add-ons like NFC, GPS etc. for both watches.

The Pebble Time Steel is available to the first 10,000 Kickstarter backers for $250 and starts shipping to backers in July. Those who have already backed the plastic Pebble Time can increase their contribution to pay for a Pebble Steel without losing their place in the queue.

The Steel version has the same water resistance, built-in mic and color e-paper display, but Pebble says it’s aimed at the professional crowd, rather than the more sporty, everyday look it says it created for the original Pebble Time.

Pebble details that its Smartstrap system is an open hardware platform, which lets hardware makers use a port on the back of the watch combined with the quick release band tech Pebble employs to add features to the watch via sensors, electronics, and even batteries built into swappable straps.

You could add a heart rate monitor, for instance, or a GPS chip for improved run tracking and fitness powers; a spare battery to bump up the life of the Pebble to multiple weeks; or environmental sensors to tell you about air quality and temperature.